by Drew Wagar
Meru sat, arms folded, looking out at Lacaille from the inside of his parents’ residence in the city of Amar. Two guards were discreetly located outside to prevent him from leaving.
His mother, Hannah, sat opposite him, a drink of chai held in her hands.
‘It is good to have you back,’ she said.
Meru swallowed.
‘We came back to warn everyone,’ Meru said. ‘But instead they’ve locked my friends up.’
‘Meru, look at it from the senate’s perspective,’ Hannah said. ‘You disappeared. We all thought you were dead. Then you arrive in a strange ship with a wild tale, consorting with criminals …’
‘They’re not criminals.’
‘They’ve broken the law at the very least,’ Hannah said. ‘Two of those men are known thugs, convicted of brawling in the taverns …’
‘You don’t know them,’ Meru said, turning to glare at her. ‘Yes, they’re rough, but they’re good men.’
‘And this captain,’ Hannah continued. ‘By his own admission he’s sailed out to sea. You know that’s a violation of rules. It’s forbidden.’
‘The rule is stupid,’ Meru countered. ‘The senate are deliberately hiding the truth from everyone. It’s all been covered up because they’re scared of dealing with it.’
‘But the story is so fanciful … magic in faraway lands, surely it’s all …’
‘It’s true, mother,’ Meru said. ‘All of it is true. Zoella and Ren are from those places. I’ve been there, seen the flares, seen the witches. They’re real!’
Hannah stopped and took a sip of her chai. Meru huffed and looked away. She continued to look at him.
‘I can see you believe it.’
Meru turned. ‘But you think they’ve brainwashed me? Like father does? Why would they? Why would they come back here if not to warn Amar? Why come back at all and risk all this? It’s because they’re telling the truth.’
Hannah thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
‘I will do what I can,’ she said.
The crew of the Mobilis had been given quarters in the city. They were rather more civilised than the cells they had been held in, but they were not free to leave. Guards stood at the entrance to the residence they had been escorted to. Within, each had their own room, with servants on hand to provide for their needs.
Senator Janaid had advised them that the senate was discussing their revelations and would report back before the stretch was out. In the meantime it seemed all they could do was wait.
‘Got to hand it to you young lady,’ Fitch said, grinning at Zoella. ‘You’ve got spirit. They might have killed you on the spot for showing what you did.’ His grin faded. ‘Let’s hope it hasn’t condemned us all to death for witchcraft.’
Zoella glared at Fitch. ‘They were wasting time and they weren’t listening.’
Coran smiled at her. ‘You can be very convincing.’
‘And a little bit scary too,’ Mel added. ‘Remind me not to get on your bad side.’
‘More powerful than witches she is,’ Ren said, grabbing hold of her hand. Zoella pulled him into a hug.
‘I’m not sure of that,’ Zoella said. ‘But if my powers can be used to help, then they should be used.’
A heavy sounding bell tolled. All of them looked up as the front doors to the building were unlocked and swung open. Two guards stood there, flanking a third figure, who stood, shoulders slumped, between them.
They recognised him.
‘Meru!’ Mel called.
He walked in and the guards closed and locked the doors behind them. Meru looked up and managed to gaze at most of them before dropping his gaze. He couldn’t hold Zoella’s fierce glance.
‘I guess … I owe you all an apology,’ he said.
No one moved for a long moment.
‘And a flamin’ good one too,’ Fitch snapped. ‘Didn’t tell us you were the son of a snuttin’ senator, did you? Did it slip your mind? Did you think maybe they’d forget or something? You’ve put us through the fire because of your lies. They thought we’d abducted you! We could have been killed …’
‘I’m sorry,’ Meru flinched as Fitch berated him.
‘Sorry ain’t good enough, boy,’ Fitch snapped, stalking towards him. ‘I’ve a mind to take it out of your hide.’
‘Fitch. Enough.’
Coran’s voice was soft but arresting. Fitch backed away, grumbling under his breath. Coran turned his attention back to Meru.
‘But you’d better explain yourself.’
Meru sighed and backed up against the wall, looking down at his feet. ‘I … you’ve met my father I think. Senator Henoch. Henoch Farstone.’
‘Charming fellow,’ Coran said. ‘Very welcoming.’
‘He’s always wanted me to follow in his footsteps,’ Meru said. ‘Be a senator like him. I was schooled for it, endless lessons in administration, figurings and numbers, stretch after stretch. I hated it, but I had to do it. Tests and checks, every stretch was study all stretch long. But I wanted to see what was beyond our city, beyond our land, wanted to do something that mattered. My father, he wouldn’t allow it …’
‘You ran away,’ Coran said.
‘I tried many times, but I was always caught and brought back,’ Meru said. ‘I got whipped and punished for it, but it didn’t stop me. Then I came up with a plan. I learnt the arts of timekeeping from the guild, easy for me to gain access as a senator’s son. One of the apprentices was booked for passage on a ship, but he was ill. I agreed to take his place. I took his place on the Bethany …’
‘And got shipwrecked.’
‘On my first voyage,’ Meru said. ‘Pretty unlucky. Then you found me and …’ He looked up. ‘It was adventure! It was everything I wanted. I should have told you, but I didn’t think it would matter. I never knew what we’d find, all the things that would happen. When we were coming back, I wanted to say something, I just didn’t know how. I should have told you. I’m sorry.’
Fitch snorted. ‘We all knew you were lying anyway.’
Meru looked at Coran and Mel, who were both nodding.
‘Your story didn’t really add up,’ Mel said. ‘Probably would have done the same thing myself by the sound of it … your father …’
‘Is a complete snut,’ Coran finished with a smile.
‘Whereas you’re only mostly a snut,’ Mel said. ‘Come on.’
She held out her arms. Meru swallowed and walked across, allowing himself to be hugged.
‘Lies never help much, Meru,’ she said. ‘Next time, come clean with us, yes? Crew’s got to trust each other.’
To her surprise she found he was crying, sobbing in her embrace.
‘I let you down,’ he managed. ‘All of you.’
‘Scorchin’ hell,’ Fitch muttered. ‘I think I preferred him when he was furlin’ about …’
Mel glared at him, but Meru wiped at his eyes and stood up.
Coran held out his hand. ‘Mel’s right, no secrets in this crew. Understood?’
Meru took it. ‘No secrets.’
Meru looked across at Zoella, who had remained silent throughout. Both Coran and Mel spotted the look.
‘Time to get some food ready,’ Mel said. Coran got up beside her.
Fitch frowned. ‘We only just ate.’
Mel gestured to the doorway, by angling her head and giving Fitch a glare. Fitch rolled his eyes and stomped out, still muttering.
‘Come on Ren, Daf, Creg,’ Coran called. ‘You can help too.’
Meru watched them go, dropping his gaze to the floor. The door closed, leaving him alone with Zoella.
There was a long moment of silence.
‘At least you admit you lied to them,’ Zoella said, breaking the silence, her voice sharp. ‘Anything else you care to admit? Something about Kiri, perhaps?’
Meru took a deep breath and paced in a circle for a moment.
‘I saw what she did,’ he whispered. ‘I saw how she killed. How she chas
ed us, tried to capture us. All of it. I know what she’s like …’
‘And?’ Zoella voice remained sharp, edged by a tremble.
‘When she caught me,’ Meru managed. ‘After the flying machine crashed, she had me tied up. She broke into my mind, read my thoughts …’
‘You’ve already told me this,’ Zoella said. ‘I offered to help, you turned me down.’
Meru winced. ‘I know. But that’s not all, there was something else. Something happened. I thought she was going to kill me. She had several chances to do so, but she didn’t … she couldn’t. I … Then I saved her life in the flare, she would have died …’
Zoella’s lip curled in distaste. ‘You should have let her die. She’s a beast, a murderer. She killed Ioric, Torin, Raga my carn. She killed Turgan and Guerrun. Who knows who else she has killed before and since?’
‘It’s not like that,’ Meru argued back.
‘How so?’ Zoella demanded. ‘They’re dead, she’s not. I can’t believe you didn’t take that chance …’
‘I couldn’t kill her,’ Meru said, his voice soft. Zoella stared at him, incredulous.
‘Why not?’ she cried.
‘She was helpless,’ Meru whispered. ‘Injured after the flare. We’d fallen out of the sky when her dach was slain. We had to work together to survive. If I’d left her there she would have died.’
‘You should have left her.’ Zoella’s voice was cold. ‘I would have.’
‘I almost did, she even wanted me to kill her.’ Meru argued back. Zoella gasped in disbelief. ‘We fought. I had my knife at her throat. But I’d learnt something about her power. When she entered my mind I could hear her thoughts, she could hear mine. There was fear and anger, but there was something else … gratitude, acceptance, the beginning of trust … I couldn’t kill her, not in cold blood. I grabbed her hand … and I asked for a truce.’
Zoella stared at him.
‘A truce? With that murderer?’ she said, her voice cold. ‘After what she did? Why Meru? Why?’
‘I needed her to survive too. I was alone …’
‘After how she killed? How could you even consider it …?’
‘Zoella …’
‘You should have slit her throat when you had a chance. Maybe Turgan and Guerrun would still be alive. Ever think of it like that?’
‘It was Kiri who let us go,’ Meru whispered. ‘At the harbour in Nireus. She promised not to kill me … she let us both go. She stopped the priestesses. It was her.’
Zoella’s jaw was clenched, her lips pursed.
‘She only let us go so she could follow us to Amar,’ Zoella said. ‘So she can find us, so she can sense where we are. She is evil, Meru! She’s tricked you, don’t you see? She wanted the location of Amar and now she has it. She can probably sense where one or both of us is. She wants my power and she’s committed to destroying all of this.’ Zoella gestured around her.
‘No …’ Meru shook his head. ‘I don’t believe that.’
‘How can you say that?’ Zoella stared at him, incredulous. ‘You’ve seen what she’s done …’
‘I sensed her thoughts,’ Meru said. ‘Heard them as clear as I’m speaking to you now. She couldn’t lie to me, I couldn’t lie to her. This is the truth, I know it is. She’s not who you think she is. Yes she’s killed, but she’s never done it without reason. There is more to her …’ Meru looked away for a moment.
Zoella’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Shades. You have … feelings for her? Oh … Meru …’
Zoella felt sick, the betrayal burning up inside her. Meru reached out towards her, but she recoiled, stumbling away. ‘Get away from me.’
‘She’s been brought up to believe we’re the enemy, taught how to fight and kill …’
Zoella backed away from him.
‘She has killed everyone and everything I ever cared for,’ Zoella said, her voice icy. ‘If you harbour any sentiment for that beast of a woman, you are no friend of mine.’
‘Zoella, don’t …’
Zoella spoke over him, her voice shaking with the effort of forming words.
‘Know this. If I get a chance, if the opportunity comes my way, be it dagger, sword, rope, bare hands or the power of my mind …’ She shook her head. ‘I will not hesitate.’ Her expression was taut and brutal. Her hands were clenched in front of her. ‘I will kill her.’
They stared at each other for a long moment.
‘Zoella …’
Anger and upset overwhelmed her. She lashed out, slapping him hard across the cheek, sending him reeling back. She screamed out at him.
‘No, get out of my sight. I never want to see you again!’
Zoella pushed past him and ran from the hall.
Zoella sought the emptiness of the room she’d been given. Her face was twisted in despair, her breath coming in great heaving gasps. She ran within, pulling the door closed behind her and backing up against it, sinking down until she was crouched up on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs, curled up.
Then the tears came, hot and scalding, dripping down her cheeks. Sobs shook her and she wept, head resting on her knees.
How could you, Meru? How could you?
It stung. Her insides clenched and hurt. She could barely breathe now, her sobs making her gasp.
I saved you from Liana, I saved you from the ice and this is how you repay me?
His image came into her mind. How she’d met him in Viresia when he’d turned up out of nowhere, wandering into the city and escorted by the guards. Then later when he tried to defend her against Torin and then how he’d rescued her and Liana in his flying machine.
And then she got hold of him!
Zoella remembered the blast of emotion she had sensed in the frozen wastes of Drem. Kiri had been searching for them, pursuing them. Zoella had felt Kiri’s rage, her aggression, but there had been something else too, a burning sense of …
Jealousy! She was jealous …
Zoella remembered how she had touched Meru’s mind when she found him with Ren. He’d been in some kind of fever: insensible, delirious, writhing, his mind in terror.
I thought she’d tortured him, but what did she really do? Why be so jealous just because I had touched his mind?
As she thought about it there was flash of pain across her forehead.
He’s mine, how dare you!
Zoella yelped in surprise, her vision tunnelling in around her. A vision flashed before her eyes. Astride a dach, mountains below, clouds whistling past, the air rushing past. A black-gloved hand clenching reins …
Zoella gasped in horror.
Kiri!
Zoella felt shock and surprise come back to her through the strange link, but it was severed before she was able to react to it. The mundane walls of her room came back into focus around her.
She was trembling with fright before anger lit within her and she projected her thoughts outwards, wrestling the connection back.
The images of the mountains and the clouds came back to her. Recognition flickered in her mind. Kiri’s voice echoed in her head.
You!
Yes, me. Murderer.
How did you …?
What did you do to him? What did you do to Meru?
A flash of feelings crackled over the link. First there was amusement, then worry and concern over secrets revealed, before a hot sense of desire burned through. That was extinguished by a blast of jealousy.
He’s mine. Mine! Leave him alone.
The ferocity of it startled Zoella, but she faced it down.
What did you do to him? Answer me.
Then Zoella could sense intense concentration, a feeling of the communication between them being honed and directed. She realised what Kiri was trying to do.
Trying to locate me!
No!
Zoella severed the link, berating herself for what she had done.
There was a soft knock at the door.
‘Go away!’
‘Zoella,’ the soft voice came back from the other side. ‘It’s me, it’s Mel. Let me in.’
Zoella didn’t respond, but she didn’t object when the door opened and Mel let herself in.
‘What’s happened?’ Mel said, coming across and kneeling beside her. ‘Zoella, what’s wrong?’
Zoella sobbed again.
‘Hey,’ Mel said, pulling her into an embrace. ‘Was it Meru? Honestly that boy. What’s he done now?’
Zoella wasn’t able to answer.
‘Still arguing?’ Mel asked.
Zoella nodded.
‘Was he lying again?’ Mel asked.
Zoella shivered and shook her head.
‘No … worse. He was … he was telling the truth,’ Zoella stuttered between the sobs. ‘And there’s something … something else I need …’
‘Hey, hey,’ Mel chastised her. ‘One thing at a time. Come on …’
Shouts came to their ears and there was a sharp knocking on the door to her room.
‘Zoella? Mel! You in there?’
It was Coran’s voice.
‘We’re here,’ Mel said, raising her voice. ‘Coran, this is not a good time …’
The door opened and Coran burst in, he looked flustered. ‘Where have you two been … oh … I’m sorry, but we need you both.’
‘Why?’ Mel demanded.
‘Come quickly!’
‘What is it?’
‘Trouble,’ Coran replied and left.
Zoella saw Mel look at her, she wiped at her blotchy eyes.
‘I’ll be all right,’ Zoella said. ‘We’d better go.’
Mel nodded and helped her to her feet.
Mel and Zoella ran down through the house and out through the front door. The rest of the crew of the Mobilis were stood in the courtyard of their residence, looking up. In the streets beyond, the residents of Amaris were milling around in the streets, pointing upwards. Some were yelling, others crying.
‘What is …?’ Zoella asked, still wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Her vision was blurry.
Ren ran across to her, dragging her forward before pointed up. ‘Look! See!’
Zoella looked up. Lacaille was a great golden orb in a clear sky as ever, but her heart lurched at what she saw. Dark stains were splattered across the familiar disk.
